Pope Francis meets the Roma community in Slovakia

During his trip to Slovakia from September 12 to 15, Pope Francis will meet members of the Roma population, one of the most marginalized communities in Europe.

This meeting, in the Lunik IX district of Kosice, Slovakia’s second largest city, will be one of the highlights of his trip. The district is the largest of some 600 disadvantaged ghettos where many Roma live in Slovakia. Most of these areas lack basic services such as running water, sewage systems, gas or electricity. Poverty, unemployment and crime rates are also very high. “Everyone is afraid of being eaten by wolves in Lunik IX, but there are no wolves here, only people“, jokes Anna Turtakova, a resident of the neighborhood.

Local officials prepare a warm welcome for the Pope. “It is a great honor for us“, is moved Marcel Sana, mayor of Lunik IX.”If Pope Francis comes to this community, it is to greet the Roma. He is known to visit marginalized communities and we respect him all the more for that. “

For the local priest Peter Zatkulak, this visit is an opportunity to re-establish the often strained relations between the Roma and the rest of the Slovak population. “Through prayer we would like to seek reconciliation between Slovaks and Roma, as well as with the Church, because we have hurt each other and this must stop“, he explains.”It’s time to say sorry and start all over again“.

Racism and discrimination

The Roma have long suffered from racism and discrimination in Slovakia and elsewhere in Central and Eastern Europe, and they continue to face enormous obstacles in terms of employment and access to education. The people of Lunik IX hope that the Pope’s visit will bring about change.

“Heard he tends to visit the poorest, which might be the reason he decided to come, as it is the poorest neighborhood in Slovakia“says Monika Gulasova, 19, who is part of a choir that will sing for Francis during a religious service.

François will arrive in Slovakia on Sunday after a brief stopover in Hungary. Besides his visit to the Roma in Kosice, he will visit the Slovak capital, Bratislava, and the town of Presov.

The Pope will also meet with the Jewish community of Slovakia and hear the testimony of a Holocaust survivor before concluding his trip with a mass on Wednesday in Sastin, the site of an annual pilgrimage to venerate the patron saint of Slovakia, Our -Lady of Sorrows.